A pacifier generally comprises a soft rubber or plastic baglet in front of a shield that positions the baglet in the mouth of a baby or young child, and a handle extending from the rear side of the shield to insert and remove the baglet. The baglet may be nipple or bulb shaped, and is sized to fit comfortably in the mouth, where it serves as a thumb sucking deterrent that satisfies the infant's natural sucking needs.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,964,489 (Kesselring), 4,078,570 (Frodrich et al.), and 4,381,785 (Robbins) show typical interlockable multi-part pacifiers having the usual flexible baglet.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,743,727 and 3,837,932 (both to Griesinger) show pacifiers with a rib or bar on the baglet underside for tongue contact to strengthen and straighten the jaws.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,520,773 (Muller) shows a pacifier with an air filled baglet, vertically divided at its free end to form side by side halves for tongue entry therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,621 (Cassimally) shows a pacifier with a baglet connected to the shield by side legs forming a bridge having a central aperture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,032 (Blomstedt) shows a pacifier with a baglet connected to the shield by side arms having front ends forming a central aperture between the upper and lower front teeth and rear ends located between the upper and lower side teeth in the manner of a bite plate. The side teeth take the biting load, and contact between the front teeth is prevented to enable them to assume the correct biting position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,853 to Leon Kussick (the same inventor as in the present patent application) shows a device mountable on the upper front teeth and having inclined portions to engage the lower front teeth in a specific manner on closing the mouth, to correct oral malocclusions, as by urging a retrusive lower jaw forward and upward while urging the upper jaw backwards when appropriate. This patent reviews pertinent types of oral malocclusion, known orthopedic devices for correcting these abnormalities, and the drawbacks of such devices, including that discussed in the article: "Bone Remodeling, A New Orthodontic Approach for Interceptive and Total Mixed Dentition Therapy", by Leon Kussick, in the ASDC Journal of Dentistry for Children, January-February, 1978.
The orthopedic devices disclosed and discussed in the last mentioned patent are attached to the dentition and are not suitable for young infants, whereas the pacifiers disclosed in the earlier mentioned patents all permit free contact of the tongue with the lower alveolar ridge and are ineffective to foster correction of a receding lower jaw condition.
It is desirable to have an infant's pacifier that avoids tongue contact with the lower alveolar ridge by interposing means to inhibit or correct a receding lower jaw condition for improved placement of the developing upper and lower alveolar ridges, and that improves tongue control for swallowing.